Thermoelectric turbine



Feb. 25, 1936, R. JJMATHIAS 7 2,031,968 THERMOELEGTRIC TURBINE FiledNov. 26, 1934 ZSheets-Sheet l Feb. 25, 1936. R. J. MATHIAS vTHERMOELECTRIC "TURBINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f Filed NOV. 26, 1954 smoPatented 'Febt 25 1136 1 PAT EJNroFF 2,031,968 'rnERMoELEoTRIc mumsRobertll. was, Cincinnati, Ohio Application November 26, 1934,s er1a1n;vs4,92v 40mm. (01. 29o--52) Thisinventionlrelatesflto turbines, butmore specifically to a turbine wherein theme-electric,

action is created by utilizing desirable temperature conditions in thefluidactuating, or actuated 5 by, the turbine. l

The design of steam. turbines, mercury vapor, turbines,turborcompressors, hydraulic turbines and other turbine structures iswidely understood by those skilled irrthe art; and installations ofthese machinesare commonplace throughout the country. v j

Moreover, countless adaptations of thermoelectric structuresjalso havebeen designed and i built; sothat the fundamental andinherent actionsand, characteristics. in thermo-couples with opposite "junctions atdifferent temperatures are not considered'novel. Some: discussion ,onthe subject ofthermo-couples has been included in my applications,Serial Number 754,925 for Cen- 2 triiugal thermo-electricmachineandSerial Number 754,926 for thermo electric motor-generator,

of even date, to which reference is made. .The

machines of these two applications illustrate practical adaptations ofthermo-electric action. The invention of this applicaiton'is unique inthat it employs thermo-couples, encased in the rotor or stator ,units ofa turbine,vv to utilize rthroug rtheirnovel arrangement and placement,

temperature conditions existing: in a fluid passing throughthe machine.The-creation and utilizationloi these useful thermo electric effects isan invention of theinstant application.-

It is, therefore, anobject of this invention toprovide a novelthermo-electric turbine. It is a further object to provide amachineincluding thermo-couples which utilize temperature differences createdinithe turbine by the fluid which passes therethrough. 2 Further objectswill appear hereinafterb 40 Inthe accompanying drawings, in whichlikereference numeralsr'efer to like parts;

Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the machine. with one quadrant cut awayto illustrate Darts in section; a broken away portion of the lowercasing is also shown toindicatepositioning of turbine blades in, the.outerperiphery of the ,-machine; 3 1 1 a Figure 2 is a full sideelevation of the machine;

Figural? is an end view illustrating a rotor unit intposition in tiemachine; a portion of the unitis shown cut away-to illustrate part-ofthe rotorinsection;

Figure 4 likewise is an end'view showing a stator unit in position inthe machine; an enclosed winding is indicated diagrammatically; and a ei e ,1

Figure5 is a view perspective, showing junctions of a thermo-coupleconnected to vanes of the turbine. i 4

An adaptation, of the form of rnachine of my and 50 form intake port62;.- Casing 50 includes the exhaust port 63.

In bearings 4 (termed front and rear) is journaled shaft 5, with apulley 6 keyed to the rear end thereof for transmission of rotarypower."

Keyed to the shaft 5 are rotor unitsl3, M, i5;

IB, I|, l8 and I9. Spaced between the ,rotor units, and in =closelyspaced relation with the rings 34, are stator units 40.'I'heentireystator assembly is held in position by the clamping ace,tionoftthe-casing parts l,,2,.3, 50, M andil. To minimize endv play ofthe rotor, thrust washers 20 areprovidedw In the inner inlet annulus ofcasings 3 audit],

are providedstator vanes 52. In the inner annulus of stator units 40,are provided stator vanes 53. ,In the outer annulus of casings2 and 5!,areprovided stator vanes 54 and in the outer annulus of stator unitsfill are provided stator vanes 55." The rotor units l3 to I9 have aninner annulus provided with rotor vanes -56, and an I outer annulusprovided withrotor vanes 51. In- Vner vanes and outer vanes of either,rotor or stator units are, of course, equally spaced and centered, withrespect to shaft 5, and are of approved turbine vane design foroperating efliciently, with steam, mercury vapor, or any of the fluidscustomarily employed.

The rotor units l3-'-I9 are adapted to a molded construction. Themolding or casting of quite intricate designs from such materialsasbake- 1 lite, glass, cellulose acetate, and other such-materials'fromwhich the rotors l3 to l9 may be made, and with various types ofinserts, is well known to those skilled in the molding art, and

any special elaboration on these operations is not necessary here. Thepositions and forms of the inserts cast in these rotor unitswill,however, be

fully described. The construction follows the order described herewithThermo-couple units are first made from thousands of thermo-couples oftwo different metal elements 35 and 36 and in somewhat of a coilform,and of such size and shape that each coil unit may constitute a quadrantof a rotor. A diagram of the construction of thermo-couple units of thistype is shown in the sectional portion of the rotor unit in Figure 3,whereas the actual manufacture of such units has been amply described inmy application Serial Number 754,926, of even date. These thermo-couplesmay be made of suitable well known pairs of metal wires, such as copperand iron, welded, twisted or otherwise joined together to form a closedcircuit with two junctions for each pair of metals. Or, the metal wiresmay be connected alternately copper to iron to copper etc., to form along series of thermo-couples in series for each quadrant. The quadrantsare, of course, positioned 90 apart and centered with respect to theaxis. One divergence in design of the thermocouple units of thisapplication, however, is in the comparatively long junctions whichextend or protrude beyondwhat constitutes the outer boundary of thethermo-couple windings. These projections are illustrated in thejunction of thermo-couple elements 35 and 36 of Figures 3 and 5, andwill be explained more fully hereinafter.

These thermo-couple units are positioned in quadrant form for molding,after the arrangement indicated in Figure 3 of this application, andmore completely in my application, Serial Number 754,926, of even date.About the thermo-couple units is molded or cast, the inner and outerannuli of turbine vanes, and included in or attached to these vanes, andinsulated from each other, are the thermo-couple junctions previouslymentioned, with opposite junctions being cast in inner and outer annuliof vanes, respectively. Figure 5 is indicative of the placement of thesejunctions.

In the specific form of machine of this application, these annular vanecastings are of rugged glass or porcelain, which electrically insulatesthe thermo-couple junctions, as well as withstands heat and erosion ofan actuating fluid in the turbine.

Cast also in each rotor is an inner metal hub 60, for mounting the rotoron the shaft, and a reinforcing metal screen 6| in the outside rim ofthe outer annulus.

The remaining operation in the formation of the rotor unit is to castthe existing structure, composed of the vane annuli, and thermo-coupleunits, in a suitable mold of a construction as illustrated in thedrawings. An iron core 33, is positioned within each quadrant ofthermocouples before casting the rotor. This structure then constitutesa complete rotor unit.

A stator unit may more simply be made and formed of metal, such as iron.Coil windings are insulated and wedged in slots cut into the iron statorunit in the form of the stator winding shown in the diagram. Theseoperations are well understood by those versed in the art, and referenceto the stator unit construction has been made in my application, SerialNumber 754,926, of even date. Electric connection with the stator coilwindings of the machine is indicated in terminals 42. These terminalsare electrically insulated from the casing M, by mounting in fibreinserts, screwed in proper position in the casing of the machine. Twoterminals 42 connecting with the stators have been shown, whereas thepositions of others are indicated by center lines, above the statorunits.

These rotor units and stator units are installed alternately in themachine and with their incorporated windings, constitute field andarmature units of a dynamo. Because of the vanes or blades alsoincorporated, they constitute stages of a turbine. How the machinefunctions as a thermo-electric turbine will now be explained.

A gaseous fluid, under pressure, such as steam, is supplied through theintake port 62; and takes for its passage through the machine, the pathsformed by the vanes 52, 56, 53, 54, 51 and 55 of the stators and rotors;and openings cast in the casings 3, 2, 5| and 50. As the steam travelsthrough the machine, its kinetic energy creates rotary motion of therotor. The outside annuli of blades of rotor and stator units aredirected so that the steam passing through these outer paths, tends toproduce the same direction of rotation of rotor as that produced in theinner paths. The turbine vanes tend to acquire the temperatures of thesteam, passing around them and so consequently do the thermo-couplejunctions attached to the vanes.

Now if the steam in heat exchange relation with the opposite junctionsof the thermo-couples become of proper different temperatures, electriccurrents will be produced in the thermo-couple units. This isaccomplished in this machine by virtue of the steam practicallyadiabatically expanding and giving up its energy in successive stageswith a resultant decrease in temperature in successive stages. And, bypositioning the opposite thermo-couple junctions in stages of theturbine wherein temperature differences exist-the desired conditions aremet. In this machine the requirements are fulfilled by placing oppositethermo-couple junctions at inner and outer vane annuli respectively.

These electric currents created in the thermoelectric structures arethen utilized in the manher of a dynamo, as described in my application,Serial Number 754,926, of even date. This operation of producingelectric energy imposes further load on the turbine, which tends tocreate more advantageously the temperature difierential of steam ininner and outer stages.

Reference is made here also to somewhat 01' a reclamation processoccurring within the machine of this invention. The inner annuli ofturbine vanes of the turbine normally acquire temperatures higher thanthose of the outer annuli. A conduction of heat therefore follows, inwhich heat acquired in inner annuli tends to move outwardly throughrotor and stator structures to the cooler outer annuli, wherein it maybe again reclaimed in part through heat transfer. by the steam as itpasses through the outer annuli. The steam exhausting, therefore,possesses somewhat additional heat energy which may be utilizedexternally in some other useful device.

In any of the foregoing constructions, the rotor assembly rotates as theimpelling fluid impinges upon the rotor vanes. The temperaturedifferentials set-up between the thermocouple junctions cause a currentto flow in the thermocouple circuits and create lines of force whichalternately cut the stator coils and thereby alternately induce acurrent to flow in the stator coils which is delivered to the terminals42. The alternation of the current depends, of course, upon the speed ofrotation of the rotor assembly.

What I claim as my invention and desireto a fhoti and coldf junctions,means for firstt 2,031,96 be secured by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates A thermo-electric turbo generator comprising a rotatablethermo-couple system having hot" and cold" junctions, means forfirst-stage conversion of fluid kinetic energy into rotary powerassociatedwith the "hot junctions ofthe thermo-couple system and meansfor secondstage conversion of that fluid kinetic energy into rotarypower associated withthe cold junctions of the thermo-couple system. a rt 2. A thermo-electric turbo-generator comprising a rotatablethernio-couple system having stage conversion of fluid kinetic energyinto rotary power .associated-with the hot junctions of thelthermocouplesystem, means for secondthermo-couple system.

stage-conversion of that fluid kinetic energy into rotary powerassociated with the fcold junctions of thethermo-couple system, and anarmatureunit inc closef spaced relation with the 3. A' thermo-electricturbo-generator comprising a casing having a central annular inlet andaperipheral annularv outlet, a shaft journalled and centered in thecasing, a stator unit located in theca'sing. centered about the shaftand having an inner vane annulus and an outer vane annulus withdirectional vanes located in said; annuli, said stator having anarmature winding positionedl therein and having its inner vane annulusin:proximity to the central inlet and its outer vane annulus inproximity to the peripheral outlet; a rotor unit centered and mountedon'said shaft having an inner annulus and vanes contained therein and anouter annu- Ins and vanes contained therein in opposition to but locatedsimilarly to the stator annuli and vanes, a thermo-couple system locatedin said rotor unit and having inner junctions and outer junctions inheat exchange relation with the inner and outer rotor vanesrespectively, and a returnconduit from the inner rotor vane annulus tothe outer rotor vane annulus.

4. A thermo-electric turbo-generator comprising-a casing having acentral annular inlet and a peripheral annular outlet, a shaftjournalled and centered in the casing, alternate stator and rotorunitslocated in the casing and centered with respectto the shaft, the statorunits eachhaving an inner vane annulus and an outer vane annulus withdirectional vanes located in said annuli and having an armature windingpositioned therein connected with terminals and comprising at least twoopposite quadrants, the rotor units each being mounted on the shaft andhaving an inner annulus and vanes contained- -therein and an outerannulus and vanes con-v tained therein in opposition to but locatedsimilarly to the stator annuli and vanes, four thermo-couple' quadrantslocated 90 apart in each rotor unit, centered similarly to the statorquadrants and having inner junctions and outer junctions in heatexchange relation with the inner and outer rotor vanesrespectively, the

inner annuli being substantially in-line and communication with thecentral inlet and the outer annuli beingrsubstantially in lineandcommunication with the peripheral outlet and a return conduit from theinner annulus most remote from the inlet to the outer annulus mostremote from theoutlet to the casing.

ROBERT J. MA'I'HIAS.

